Snubbed bolster truck



May l, 1951 F. H. sPENNER SNUBBED BOLSTER TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet l -Filed March 29, 1945 May l 1951 F. H. sPENNER 2,551,064

SNUBBED BoLsTER TRUCK `vPatented May 1, 1951 UNITED srArEs rrrx'rslv'r ori-"lcs SNUBBED BOLSTER TRUCK Fred H. Spenner, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Scullin Steel Co., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Applica-tion March 29, 1945, Serial No. 585,553

means associated with the movably interlocked 'portions of the bolster and side frame for frictionally dampening or snubbing the bolster supporting springs. Another object is to provide for increasing the frictional dampening or snubbing action as the load on the bolster springs increases. Another object is to render the action of the frictional dampening or snubbing means uniform y under all loading conditions of the bolster springs.

Another object is to provide spring means associated with the movably interlocked portions of the bolster and side frames for cushioning the relative movement of the bolster and side frame laterally of the truck. Another object is to provide for dampening or snubbing said last mentioned spring means. Another object is to provide means associated with the movably interlocked portions of the bolster and side frame for cushioning the relative movement thereof longitudinally of the truck. Other objects are simplicity and cheapness of construction, ease of assembly .and disassembly, compactness and neatness of design and to protect the moving partsfrom dust or other foreign matter.

The invention consists in the improved railway car truck and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a railway freight car f truck embodying my invention,

, Fig. 2 is a side elevational viewof said truck,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is an end elevational View of the bolster, Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating a A modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 5 illustrating ari-x` other modification of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, my invention is shown embodied in a` railway freight car truck' comprising a pair of axles A with wheels, I fixed thereto near the ends thereof, side frames B connecting said axles outside of said wheelsand having journal boxes 2 adapted to enclose the end or journal portions of said axles, and a bol- 4 ster D connecting said side frames midwayof said axles.

Each side frame B comprises a one-piece cast metal truss structure including a compression member 3 and a tension member 4 that converge towards the journal boxes 2 at the ends of the side frameA and are connected intermediate between said ends by a pair of spaced columns 5 that form'a double strut between said compression and tension members and cooperate therewith to form an opening 6 adapted to receive the adjacent end of the bolster D. The bolster D is yieldably supported in the upper portions o f the` bolster openings 6 of the side frames B for vertical movement relative thereto preferably by means of four-unit nests of double coil springs 1.-,- The-bolster springs 1 rest on spring seats 8 locatedat the bottoms of the bolster openings 6; and the upper ends of said springs are provided with spring caps 9 upon which the bolster D rests.

The spring-supported end portions of the bolster D have vertically slidable rib-and-groove connections with vthe respective side frames B so as to tie them together and to permit relative movement of said bolster and side frames vertigcally and also laterally and longitudinally 0f the truck. The interlocking connection between the bolster D and each side frame B preferably comprises a vertical guideway or channel Il]` formed along the upper bolster opposing face of each column 5 of said side frame and a guide lug -II which projects laterally from the adjacent side face of said bolster into said guideway or channel for vertical sliding movementtherein. The upper ends of the vertical guide channels or grooves Il) of each side frame B are closed by the compression member 3l` thereof, while the.

lower ends of said guide channel are leftiy open so as to permit the bolster guide lugs II to",y be inserted therein and removed therefrom. Spaces are provided between the bolster guide 'lugs II 1 and the guide channels Ill at the sides and outer ends of said lugs so as to permit relative movement of the bolster D and side frames B laterally and longitudinally of the truck; and said guide channels are reinforced and stiffened by suitable ribs I2 along the exterior side faces thereof.

.Each of the laterally extending guide' lugs or ribs II of the bolsterD has rectangular recesses` or pockets I3 in the inner and outer side faces.

thereof adapted to slidably support friction shoes in the form of inwardly opening rectangular cups I4 that are forced endwise into frictional engagement with the sides of the guide channel III for said lug by means of coil compression springs I5 interposed between the closed outer ends of said cups and the inner ends of said recesses. As shown in the drawings, the friction cup engaging interior side faces of the guide channels I are provided with hardened steel wear plates I6; and the cooperating surfaces of said plates and the friction cups I4 are inclined downwardly towards the vertical center line of said guide channels so that said friction cupsv are forced inwardly in their supporting recesses I3 against the pressure of the springs I5 therein when the bolster guide lugs I I move downwardly in said guide channels. As shown in the drawings, the friction cup receiving portions of the guide lugs II of the bolster D have holes I'I extending vertically therethrough and the friction' cups I4 have similar'holes I8 extending therethrough adapted, when the friction cups.

are forced inwardly'in said' guide lugs, to register with said rst mentioned holes, whereby a pin (not shown) may be' inserted through the registering holes to lock the friction cups in retracted position and thus facilitate the operation of entering the lugs into the guide channels I0 and removing them therefrom.

By the arrangement described, the laterally extending guide lugs I I on the bolster D fit within the vertical guide channels I0 in the opposing faces of the columns of theside frames B, whereby the bolster serves to tie the side frames together and the bolster and side frames are adapted for relative vertical movement under different loads on the bolster springs I5 and under different track conditions. At the same tini'e, the spring-pressed friction cups or plungers I4 carried by the bolster guide lugs I I bear constantly against the sides of the guide channels -III and thus serve to dampen or snub the bolster springs 1 and absorb the load or shock thereon and to increase the capacity thereof. The downwardly converging side walls of the guide channels I0 also serve to increase the friction as the vertical load on the bolster springs 1 increases.

The spring-pressed friction cups I4 also serve to directly resist or cushion the relative movement of the bolster D and side frames B laterally of the truck and thus prevent the transmission of lateral blows and shocks between the bolster and side frames. When the lateral load is exerted in one direction, four of the spring-pressed friction cups I4 are compressed, while the other four cups are released, thereby diminishing harmonic oscillations or vibrations in the operating springs I5 for said cups. The friction between the flat to'ps'of the spring projected cups I4 and the recesses I3 therefor also serves to resist the lateral motion and to assist in preventing such harmonic spring oscillations.

In assembling the bolster D and side frames B, the horizontal springs I5 are rst inserted in the recess I3 in the sides of the lateral projecting guide lugs II of the bolster, the friction cups I4 are then placed over the outer ends of said springs and inserted in said recesses, the cups are then forced inwardly inthe recesses against the pressure of the springs to bring the openings I 8in the cups into register with the openings II in the guide lugs, and a pin is then inserted through the registering holes II and IB to hold the friction cups in retracted positionfor easy insertion into the guide channels I0 through the open lower ends thereof. After the bolster D is thus slidably interlocked with the side frames B and is resting on the bolster springs 1, the pins are withdrawn from the guide lugs II so as to release the friction cups I4 and permit the springs I5 to force said cups intoy frictional engagement with the wear surfaces I6 on the inner sides of the guide channels IU.

The hereinbefore described construction requires a minimum number of parts and enables the side frames B and bolster D to be produced without increasing the manufacturing cost thereof. The construction also protects the moving parts from dust or other foreign matter which p would interfere with the operation thereof; and

friction' cups Illa are disposed vertically, whereby the friction between said cups and said guide channels is uniform throughout the entire range of relative vertical movement of the bolster and side frames;A

In the' modification shown in Fig. 8, the webs Y of the vertical guide channels Il) in the columns 5 of the sideframe have rectangular recesses I9 therein in which are located rectangular cups 28 having-vertical outer end faces that are held in frictional lengagement Iwith the vertical end faces of the guide lugs II of 'the bolster D by means of coil compression springs 2I interposed between said cups and the inner ends of said recesses. The spring-pressed, horizontally slidable friction cups 2B' serve to cushion the relative movement of the bolster D and side frames B longitudinally of the truck `and to center said bolster in the bolster openings 6 of said side frames; and they also operate after the manner of the spring-pressed lateral motion resisting cups I4 to dampen or snub the bolster springs 'I.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described truck construction admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A car truck comprising a side frame having spaced columns defining the sides of a central bolster opening, said columns providing vertical guideways Vat opposite sides of the central opening, a bolster spring-supported in saidl central opening for vertical movement between said guideways in responseto bolster spring reactions, guide lugs integrally formed with said bolster arranged for movement in said guideways, said guide lugs providing recesses having internal friction faces, friction elements disposed in said guide lug recesses and formed to present flat faces for engagement with said guideways and internal faces of said guide lug recesses, .and spring meansin said guide lug recesses adapted to press vsaid friction elements against said guideways to impose frictional forces for snubbing bolster spring oscillatory reactions, said guide lugs having clear spaces between said guideways to permit lateral movement of said bolster `with the engaging faces of said guide lugs and friction elements imposing frictional. forces for snubbing oscillatory reactions in said spring means.

2. A car truck comprising a side frame, having spaced columns defining the sides of a central bolster opening, said columns having inwardly projecting, vertically directed guideways, a bolster spring-supported in said opening for vertical movement between said guideways in response to bolster spring compression and rebound reactions, guide lugs integral with said bolster and arranged thereon to move through said guideways, said guide lugs providing internal friction surfaces of substantial area, friction elements providingr face surfaces of substantial area, said friction elements being movably mounted in said guide lugs on the internal surfaces thereof, and spring means between said friction elements and guide lugs acting to press said friction elements into engagement with the surfaces of said guideways for snubbing bolster spring oscillatory reactions and the alternating vertical movement of said bolster acting to press alternate adjacent surfaces of said guide lugs and friction elements into engagement for snubbing oscillatory reactions in said spring means.

3. A car truck comprising a side frame having longitudinal tension and compression members and longitudinally spaced vertically directed column members interconnecting the tension and compression members, all of said members defining a central side frame opening and said column members having guideways thereon which project into the central opening above said tension member, a bolster having its end portion formed with oppositely extending recessed guide lugs for positidpment within said guideways upon bolster movement upwardly ,within the side frame central opening, bolster supporting springs for maintaining said bolster in an upper portion of said central opening between said guideways, said supporting springs being subject to vertical oscillatory reactions in service, and resilientlyv active means for snubbing said reactions of the supportinggisprings, said snubbing means including frictieni shoes having closed end faces engaging the adjacent surfaces of said guideways and closed side faces engaging complementary faces internally of said recessed guide lugs, and spring elements between the closed end faces of said shoes and said recessed guide lugs pressing the closed end faces of said shoes against the adjacent surfaces of said guideways, the engagement between said closed side faces of said shoes and complementary internal faces of said recessed guide lugs having a frictional snubbing effect to prevent oscillatory reactions in said spring elements in the direction of bolster movement laterally of the side frame.

4. A car truck as set forth in claim 3 wherein said guide lug recesses are substantially rectangular in cross section and have fiat internal faces, and said friction shoes are substantially rectangular in cross-section, and have flat side faces complementary to said internal flat faces of the guide lugs.

FRED H. SPEN'NER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 994,635 Buhoup June 6, 1911 2,118,006 Couch May 17, 1938 2,257,109 Davidson Sept. 30, 1941 2,295,553 Cottrell Sept. 15, 1942 2,295,557 Cottrell Sept. 15, 1942 2,295,558 Cottrell Sept. 15, 1942 2,333,920 Flesch Nov. 9, 1943 2,333,921 Flesch Nov. 9, 1943 2,348,453 Couch May 9, 1944 2,378,229 Light June 12, 1945 '2,390,206 Dath Dec. 4, 1945 2,420,229 Cottrell May 6, 1947 

